1927 opening of Parliament House Canberra Jugs

On 1st January 1901 the six British colonies in Australia federated to form the Commonwealth of Australia. On 9th May 1901 the Federal Parliament met for the first time in Parliament House, Melbourne, an occasion commemorated by Tom Roberts’ ‘Big Picture’. At the time Melbourne and Sydney, the two largest cities in the country, entertained a fierce rivalry meaning neither city would accept the other as the national capital. In 1909, after much debate, Parliament decided a new capital would be built on the site that is now Canberra. It took until 1911 to acquire the required land but then World War I intervened and the Australian Parliament continued to meet in Melbourne until 1927.

After World War I the Federal Capital Advisory Committee was created to establish a seat of government in Canberra and the construction of a Parliament House. Due to the economic climate of the time the committee decided to erect a "provisional" building, which would serve for a predicted 50 years until a new, "permanent" House could be built.

On May 1927 the Parliament House in Canberra was opened amid ‘scenes of epic pageantry’. Thousands of people came and sang the national anthem with Dame Nellie Melba as RAAF planes flew past, whilst over a million people listened to the ceremony via radio broadcast. The Duke of York (later to become King George VI) opened the building with a large gold key and whilst the dignitaries dined on turtle soup and Canberra pudding the crowd ate meat pies and scones. Prime Minister Stanley Bruce declared in a rousing speech:

“Within these portals will be framed those laws which will mould the destiny of a people. May those who enter this open door govern with justice, reason and equal favour to all. May they do so in humility and without self-interest. May they think and act nationally. May they speak with the voice of those who sent them here – the voice of the people”

The Old Parliament House outlived its life expectancy of 50 years and was the home to Australia's Parliament's for 61 years before the new "permanent" Parliament House was opened in 1988.